Liberian-flagged semi-submersible drilling rig spotted off Tawi-Tawi waters
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 23 July) – A Liberian-flagged drilling rig was spotted in the waters off Bongao in Tawi-Tawi province Monday morning, July 22, but the Philippine Navy assured the public that it was “not exploring but just transiting” the area.
Drilling rig SSV Caterina was seen in the international waters off Tawi-Tawi at 7:22 a.m. en route to Balikpapan in Indonesia from Vietnam, the Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM) said in a statement.
The SSV Caterina, a sixth generation semi-submersible drilling rig for ultra deepwater operations, is reportedly managed by Brazilian drilling contractor Petroserv. The drilling rig was built in 2012 by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in South Korea. It is designed to drill up to depths of 10,000 meters.
“It was passing our SLOCS (sea lines of communication) just like other international shipping vessels,” Lt. Chester Ross Cabaltera, NFWM spokesperson, told MindaNews.
The NFWM has increased its patrols and defense operations around Tawi-Tawi to protect and ensure safety in Philippine waters, it said in a media statement Monday evening.
SSV Caterina was spotted closest to Bongao town at 14.7 nautical miles north-northwest, it said.
Cabaltera said that patrol vessel BRP Jose Loor Sr. (PC390) was sent to check on the floating oil drilling vessel after it was reported by a monitoring station in Tawi-Tawi.
Some residents mistook the presence of the drilling rig to be part of the oil refinery project that was supposedly approved by the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in 2015.
But Cabaltera clarified that the drilling rig was only “transiting” the area.
The NFWM is stepping up its patrols as it continues to “protect the country’s waters from illegal activities and ensure the region remains safe and stable,” it said. (Frencie Carreon / MindaNews)
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